


Detroit: Become Strip Club

by FaintSoftly



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alive Cole Anderson, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Commentary, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Connor Deserves Happiness, CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human), Detective Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Developing Friendships, Elijah Kamski & Chloe are Married, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kara & Alice Williams (Detroit: Become Human) are Siblings, Luther is Great, M/M, Markus & Leo are Siblings, North & Kara Friendship, Or Is It?, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Sweet, Tags May Change, They're Connor's Parents, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Todd Williams is Still Trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaintSoftly/pseuds/FaintSoftly
Summary: A human AU with similar aspects from the actual game, but a little different.Kara lives with her younger sister Alice and their abusive father Todd. She has a plan to take her sister and so they can make it on their own. The trouble is a job. A well paying one. This leads her to the Eden Club.Connor is the son of two of the greatest minds of the 21st century. Elijah and Chloe Kamski, but he was never interested in technology or business and his lifelong dream has been to become a police detective. His dream has come true, but in the form of him partnered up with the jaded Lieutenant Anderson.Markus is the son of the once famous painter Carl Manfred. The talk of fame doesn't go nearly as far when there's no money attached to it, especially with his older brother Leo leeching off of his father. with Carl falling ill and using up more money than ever, it's time for Markus to get a job.Three different lives, yet somehow they'll all end up on the same path.
Relationships: Carl Manfred & Markus, Connor & Kara & Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor, Hank Anderson & Connor & Sumo, Kara & Alice Williams (Detroit: Become Human), Kara & Luther & Alice Williams (Detroit: Become Human), Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human), Leo Manfred & Markus, Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Original Chloe | RT600/Elijah Kamski
Comments: 25
Kudos: 57





	1. Kara

**Author's Note:**

  * For [itme_yaboi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itme_yaboi/gifts).



> This is happening. Let's start things off with Kara.

It was 5:30 in the morning. An unholy hour, considering the sun wasn't even up. It fell into the resented timeframe in which people would get up and get ready for work, school, life. Kara yawned, stretching her arms straight up toward the ceiling before sitting right up. She was never one to lay in bed after waking up. Her bedroom had no windows and was about the size of a large closet. It was a wonder she knew when to wake up without the sunlight there to tell her. It didn't take much for her to get dressed either. Faded pale blue jeans that she'd owned since she was a teenager, a black t-shirt, and worn down sneakers which happened to be the only pair of shoes she owned anymore. She opened her door and crept over to the room directly across the hall from hers. With a gentle twist of the doorknob she let herself in and closed the door behind her with next to no noise. 

This room was considerably larger than her own, with one large window at the center back wall. Perfect for letting in the...pleasant sounds of construction equipment just a few feet away. There was one twin sized bed up against the wall, a book and a few toys scattered here and there on the floor, and a tent that stood questionably, as if it would collapse at any second. 

"Alice? Are you awake yet? You need to get ready for school." She made her way to the small lump underneath the thin blanket on the bed and placed a gentle hand down. The lump stirred. 

"It’s time to get up. Don't make it harder than it has to be." 

The lump grumbled and rolled before sitting up, blanket sliding away to reveal a little girl with an unimpressed face and drowsy eyes. The girl, Alice, silently stared at Kara for a solid thirty seconds, blinking periodically before she slid her legs over the side of the bed and hopped down. Kara was quite shocked at how quickly Alice actually got up. Typically this would be a back and forth battle of asking and grumbling until Kara decided there was no more time and picked Alice up from her bed. The little girl pushed her hair, long and light brown like Kara's, from her face with the back of her hand as she made her way across the room to the bathroom that was attached to her room. Without a word, the girl disappeared behind the door. Kara nodded, obviously satisfied, knowing that Alice was more than capable of getting herself dressed and getting her school bag together. She crept out of the room as quietly as she entered and made her way down the hallway.

She paused at the top of the stairs when she heard the TV already on. She tiptoed down each step until she made it to the foot of the stairs, able to see a boxing game on and a bit of hair peeking out from the top of the couch. She closed her eyes and sighed, hoping that the person the hair belonged to was asleep. She made a sharp left turn from the stairs, straight into the kitchen where she didn't even bother to look in the refrigerator, knowing that it was empty aside from maybe a few eggs and of course a case of beer. Instead she tried her luck with the cabinets and found a single lucky remaining fruit grain bar. She shoved that into her back pocket and tossed the now empty box into the trash. 

"You're not gonna speak?"

"Good morning Dad. Sleep okay?"

"I slept fine. It's unbelievable really. You were gonna come down here and not speak to your father, Kara? You were never the rude one." In her mind Kara rolled her eyes because he was referring to Alice, who was far from rude and a generally pleasant child for a 9 year old. Of course out loud she only agreed in soft spoken, non provoking statements as she made her way back to the stairs. 

"Sorry Dad. I thought you were still sleeping."

"That's okay Sweetheart. Have a good day okay? Okay." The man trailed off, mumbling to himself absently as Kara disappeared back upstairs. Alice was already standing at the end of the hallway, next to her room door, securely clutching the straps of her bag. Kara held out a hand to her, beckoning her over. "Are you ready? Come on then, so I can take you to the bus." 

Alice skipped alongside her sister down the sidewalk as the sun barely peeked over the horizon. 

"Alice? I'll come and get you from school today okay? Don't take the bus. Just wait for me." Kara turned anxiously in the direction of their house, which was a long way down the street at this point, but instilled her with worry anyway. Steely grey eyes looked down at Alice's soft brown ones as Kara took the young girl's tiny hands in hers. 

"I need you to understand something for me. We won't come back home again after today. No more Dad. Just you and me." Kara wasn't sure if she understood or not, but it didn't matter. Kara meant every word she said. 

"Oh look! There's the bus. Have a good day and remember, I'm going to come get you, okay?” She waved Alice goodbye until the bus was out of sight. Kara knew that the girl would be a bit upset when it all came down to it, she wasn't sure she realised what leaving meant. No more school. No more friends. 

Kara shuffled back down the street, eyeing a beat up pick up truck parked across the street from her house. She turned to her front door to be met with her father, Todd, shoving her aside to start across the street. "I'm going to hang out with Kyle. Don't wait up. And try getting a damn job!" Kara pursed her lips, exhaling all the built up anger, because she wouldn't have to deal with any of it soon. Without a word she went back inside, locked the door behind her, pulled her phone from her back pocket and checked the time. It was 6:15. 

Kara began cleaning like she'd never cleaned before. She was good at it, but this was different. She was on a clock. She jogged upstairs and rushed right into her room. She had been planning this for weeks now. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She grabbed a deflated duffle bag from underneath her bed and laid her perfectly folded clothes into it layer by layer. She was actually able to pack most of her clothes since she didn't have many to begin with. She looked around the room, going through her mental checklist. After a long pause she snatched the thin blanket off of her bed, rolling it up and adding it to the bag. Next, she raided the bathroom for all the toiletries they would need and made her way into Alice's room. It was when she was halfway through Alice's things that her bag became full. It was painfully clear just how...little they had. She dashed back into her room, rifling through her now empty closet until she found it. Her old backpack. She had used it for school, the stupid job she quit a month ago, and now it would help her here. The rest of the packing included mostly things she knew Alice would miss. A few of her favorite books, a toy or two, and her favorite stuffed fox. There was still space remaining.. Originally she had planned that space to be for snacks she could take from the kitchen, but Todd hadn't made her go grocery shopping for weeks. She'd have to buy food herself. Two bags. Two bags and it was hard to tell Alice had ever been there. It was impossible to deduce Kara's past presence. Something about it produced a feeling in her chest. Like bricks were being placed on it one by one. She'd been alive for 22 years, and yet nearly everything she had to show for it could be condensed into a duffle bag and a backpack.

She set the bags by the door and finished cleaning. She felt it was the nicest thing she could do for him, since he wouldn't be too pleased to notice his daughters gone. Every room from top to bottom was organized. A bit of her felt guilty for leaving her dad like this, but she knew there weren't a whole lot of options. True, Kara could leave whenever she wanted. She would have packed up right when she turned 18 and never looked back if it weren’t for Alice. If she thought about it, she would probably be better off for it. So she didn't think about it. No one would fault her for leaving. Her father was a top shelf abusive asshole. Anyone with a semi decent pair of eyes and a conscience could see that. But one thing always held her back.

Kara finished cleaning by 7:32, which ended up being later than expected, but it worked out fine. Todd had yet to return. She didn't even linger once she had grabbed the bags and locked the front door. Most people would maybe look back, maybe say goodbye to their old home before leaving it, but that building hadn't been her home for nearly a decade. So she started off walking, and it was slow. The bags were heavy, but not so much so that she was inclined to stop anytime soon. Plus, all she needed to do was get down to the bus stop and then she'd have plenty of time to rest.

Her plan was going over nicely so far. It had been in motion since the very beginning of the year after all. Todd was not a very… pleasant man, per say. He drank, he smoked things he probably shouldn't, and most notably, he had a nasty habit of beating his children. His wife, her and Alice's mother, was long gone from the picture, having left when Alice was around 5. She didn't attempt to tell Kara her plans, or even take her girls with her. So Kara became bitter. Bitter at the thought of the woman and hadn't attempted to contact her since. Kara had always wanted to leave, but not like her mother. She wouldn't leave her sister alone with a man who was more than capable of killing her. So she waited… and waited. Sometimes she thought about throwing her ideas to the wind and making a break for it, but she knew that she'd be right back to square one, with an even lesser chance of getting out than before, if she got caught. So in the months leading up to her last major choice she quit her job, letting Todd think she was fired, which he believed without a second thought. She switched banks, got rid of her old bank account since Todd knew where that one was, and she hadn't spent hardly a cent since she stopped working. 

Back last month, in October, she played off apartment hunting as job hunting and managed to find a...functional, yet humble apartment. It didn't really matter how it looked. It was on the other side of town and the rent was reasonably sustainable until she got a job. That job was something she'd worked out already too. Or at least she hoped she had. She was on her way there for her interview right after she dropped off their things at the apartment. Then she'd pick up Alice early from school since she didn't know when Todd would come home and lose his mind. It was better to just get Alice early.

She had searched around online for jobs and well.. most of the decent paying jobs that wouldn't have them 'living' from paycheck to paycheck required experiences and titles she didn't have. For a while she figured she could always just get another minimum wage job and work through it, but eventually that wouldn't be enough. Todd didn't have much on her, but he did have a stable job, a house, and made more money than she ever had. 

That's what led her to the club. All it took was a tumble down a rabbit hole or two online and a few videos. She figured that it had been proven time and again that this job was a convenient way for a person like her to make money. Like...real money. Kara didn't look it, but there wasn't much she couldn't handle.

The apartment building didn't look too bad from the outside, and it really wasn't. The people that lived in the complex seemed alright and so did management. Not to mention there was a gate and a key needed to enter. Perfect. Kara made her way up a few flights of stairs, 4 to be exact, before reaching their new front door. She'd already seen the place before, but looking at it now that she was actually going to be staying there was different. It was clear, the place was small. The kitchen and living room were one space, separated with the counter in the kitchen and straight ahead was a narrow hallway with two doors. The first one was the only bedroom and the second one at the end of the hall was the bathroom. All of the floors were a light colored wood. No carpeting in sight. Kara knew it would be perfect for their purposes. There was also a little balcony, maybe she could make it up eventually. Get plants for Alice to look after or something of the sort. Kara dropped their bags in their bedroom and checked the time. 

"Already?" It was 9:24 and Kara was actually quite shocked. She knew it took a while to get from the old house to here, which was kind of the point, but she figured lugging two heavy bags alongside her on and off the bus may have made the journey slower than it had been previously. It wouldn't take nearly as much time to get Alice. 

Kara had some spare time to nap before getting up, getting Alice, calling the club to make sure her audition was still on, and then actually going. She had high hopes for this, she had even been watching videos on how to audition for strip clubs and reading. She'd always been a eerily fast learner so she hoped whoever was judging her would just see her willingness to learn. A drive. There would be a drive alright. She had a lot riding on this, but if she was too tired to audition then well… none of this would matter. She looked around the barren bedroom, eyes falling on a box that contained an air mattress she'd picked up a few days earlier. She didn't feel like opening it up and so she slept right on the floor. Mere seconds after her head hit the ground she was gone.

The first thing she did upon waking was make a haphazard reach for her phone. When her hands finally gripped it, it was frigid. She turned it over and checked the time. "Fuck. Fuck!" It was 1:37 and Alice got out of school at 2:45, Kara didn't have time to dwell on how she slept for so long, because the first thing that brought on her panic was the thought that she wouldn't pick her up in time. Kara sat up so fast her head spun and dark spots flashed in her eyes. She snatched her phone and wallet from the floor, nails scraping the wood, producing a horrid sound. She stumbled through the apartment still in a half asleep daze, hoping this might just turn out to be a bad dream due to building anxiety. But as she rushed down more and more steps, she saw that wasn't the case. Kara would never be able to forgive herself if all her planning went perfectly for months only for her to stumble right at the end. Idiot.

It seemed like everything was slower when she had something to do. Her legs, the bus, traffic, everything. Eventually she made it to the school, trying not to look absolutely insane rushing through the front doors. She walked up to the front desk, trying to inhale through her nose, practically out of breath. 

"Hi Mrs. Reed. I'm here to pick up Alice. We're going to go home together rather than the bus today. I know it's 2:40 and I should've come earlier, but traffic today is harsh." The elderly front desk woman smiled at Kara for a second before tilting her head in confusion. 

"Kara dear it's nice to see you, but you must be a bit confused. You look tired. Would you like some water?"

"Confused? What do you mean?"

"Hmm? Oh I mean your father came and got Alice just...ten minutes or so ago. I figure it's a miscommunication. You got to make sure you properly talk to your parents. I wish my son still called me. He's always so busy fighting crime. I-" Kara had already turned and began walking away. 

"You're right Mrs. Reed. Must've been a miscommunication. I have to go. Have a great day!"

Todd had Alice. It seemed Kara would be making one last trip to the old house.


	2. Connor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor's first chapter and his first day on the job as a bright new detective with his...intriguing new partner Lieutenant Anderson!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, but here it is! Connor's first appearance!

"Hey! You're Kamski right?"

"I am. I'm very happy to be working with you. You can call me Connor."

"Yeah, well I doubt we'll see much of each other, not even being in the same field, but nice to meet you too. You can go up and meet Captain Fowler for a talk." The officer that had approached him when he first entered the station disappeared into the sea of desks, leaving Connor to just...look around. This was it. The DPD. And he was a part of it. He'd been dreaming of this moment since he was a kid. It was loud, filled with the sound of people talking, typing, walking. Every little sound was something Connor could hear and it was marvelous. As he looked around he tried to keep as much of a straight face as possible. He wanted people to take him seriously here, and smiling like a wide eyed child at everything in sight wouldn't exactly help that image.

After a few more seconds Connor was somehow able to make himself move towards, what he had been told was, Captain Fowler's office. The outside was constructed entirely of glass as if it were a giant window, sitting in perfect view of everything, raised up a little bit higher, basically impossible to miss. There was…already someone else inside the office, sitting across from Fowler's desk in a chair. As Connor walked up the stairs to the office all he could think about was different ways to make a good impression. He stood outside the door, uncertain if he should enter, considering there was already someone else in there. Eventually Fowler looked up from his desk and with what appeared to be an exasperated sigh, waved Connor into the room. 

"Anderson. This is Kamski. He's new and he'll be your partner on all current and future cases until I say he's not." The man in the other chair that he stood behind twisted around in order to see Connor. The man didn't look like much of a police officer... He had unkempt grey hair that fell every which way, his clothes were ill fitting and wrinkled with a stain or two that Connor could pick out, and the man's face was clearly tired and sporting a beard. The man squinted at him for a few seconds before turning back to Fowler. 

"No. No fucking way. Not happening."

"Hank. I don't want to hear it."

"That is not a detective. That is a child for Christ sake. I get that I haven't been a shining beacon lately, but come on. Don't do this."

"Connor graduated top of his class and is very skilled. I'm sure with your guidance out in the field he'll be able to handle anything you two see." The man, Anderson, turned back around to examine Connor once more. 

"How old are you anyway kid? Like 18?" Connor tilted his head, clearing his throat before speaking. 

"I'm 23 and before you ask, I turn 24 in August."

"Jeffrey what the hell! I'm not doing it. What the hell kinda help am I supposed to get from someone who’s barely old enough to drink?" Fowler rubbed his eyes in apparent annoyance, sighing. 

"You're supposed to figure it out and get out of my office. I've just about had it with your bitching, Hank. You wanted a partner. This is him. Figure the rest out."

It was after that statement that he and Hank were unceremoniously told to get out and get to work. So for a first day it wasn't ideal, but he had prepared himself for all scenarios. 

"So...you're Lieutenant Anderson right? I'm very happy to be working with you. I hope in time we ca-"

"Yeah yeah cut the pleasantries bullshit. Kamski huh? As in E-"

"Elijah Kamski. Correct." Hank scoffed at his quick reply, but seemed more shocked than upset at it. Hank sat down at a desk, presumably his, what with all the clutter on the desk and the nametag. Connor stood next to the desk, trying his best to not look lost. Although he definitely felt a bit lost. This wasn't at all what he expected. He expected that maybe people wouldn't take him seriously because of his age, but he hadn't expected people to be so blatant about it. 

"Is there an empty desk anywhere I can use?" Hank didn't even look up at him before pointing to the desk directly across from his. Connor circled around and awkwardly lowered himself into the chair. 

"...So you have a current case then?"

"Yeah. It's what I'm good at. Lucky for you, so you shouldn't have too much room to fuck up, it’s Red Ice."

"I thought you and that task force all but ruined the Red Ice trade. Especially in Detroit. Wh-"

"Yeah we thought so too. It's making a comeback, but it's not big enough for any fancy task force yet, which makes it my job." Connor squinted at Anderson from across the desk. The man had his eyes glued onto his phone, not really looking anywhere else when he talked. Connor had heard about Hank when he wanted to be a detective. The guy was kind of a big deal. He'd be star struck if he hadn't already learned from his father ages ago that meeting people you look up to will probably almost always be a let down. Connor wasn't sure what to say next in all honesty. He wanted to ask Hank some questions about their current case, but he seemed like he wasn't in the mood for questions, which he hoped wasn't going to become a common occurrence. He could make small talk and get to learn more about the man, but he wasn't sure he'd have anything interesting to say, considering Connor probably just looked like a baby to Anderson. He looked around the station, noting how clean and busy it looked with officers speeding back and forth, various office sounds running in the background, and even the murmurs of people making reports to the police. Connor looked back over at Anderson, glued in the same position as before and Connor sighed, deciding to open his mouth and say something.

"Anderson. Kamski. You've got a scene. It's an O.D. and also maybe a kidnapping."

"The hell? A kidnapping? Do we look like missing persons to you?"

"No, but drugs are involved so go be a narc." After the officer disclosed the details of the location of the crime scene, he faded right back into the bustle of the station as quickly as he appeared. Hank sighed and seemed to revert right back to the position he was in before, right back to his phone and, for a second, Connor thought maybe he was not only partnered with someone disrespectful, but also extremely apathetic.

“Well? It’s my first day and I don’t think it would be appropriate to go to a crime scene without my partner, but I also don’t think it’s in our best interest to not go at all.” Anderson cleared his throat and began to stand, grabbing a heavy dark coat. 

“Let’s get a move on. First day. Hope all the nice things Fowler had to say were true, and if they’re not...don’t get in my way.”

The drive to the scene was a deafening combination of awkward and generally dreary. The awkwardness was courtesy of the fact that Hank hadn’t said a word to him since they left the station, and they were riding in Hank’s car instead of a police vehicle, which made it feel even more like an invasion of privacy. The dreary was thanks to the heavy downpour which had started sometime around 4 or 5, and seemed incapable of stopping anytime soon. The deafening was those two factors combined. Right next to the loud metal music blaring from the car speakers that would prevent any sort of conversion anyways. Connor had scanned the song with his phone to find out that it was by some metal group called Knights of The Black Death. He didn’t hate the music necessarily, but he’d definitely never heard anything like it and that was putting it lightly. 

It took a lot of willpower to not exhale in absolute relief when they reached the crime scene. Connor always knew that he would feel a sense of excitement upon being at his first crime scene. What he hadn’t expected was for most of that excitement to stem from the end of a painful car ride that would take place beforehand. Connor nearly leapt from the vehicle as if he were being held captive. 

“This is the place then?” He surveyed the area as best he could in the rain. The front lawn was blocked off with a hologram of caution tape, the ground was devoid of grass, and instead was slowly developing from dirt into a pool of mud. The building that was meant to be a house was dilapidated and appeared to be sinking to one side, with peeling paint and chipping wood panels. 

“Ever seen a dead body before kid?”

“Uh yes.”

“Great. Use that to keep your cool when we see this one. It’s still on site.” They stumbled through the tape, Hank waving to the few other officers that were on site as he met up with a man standing on the porch. 

"How's it going Hank? So meet Carlos Ortiz. Yeah...he's been dead a while. I talked to the neighbors and apparently he wasn't the most social guy, so people didn't even notice." Connor silently followed behind as they trailed through the filthy house. His eyes flickered over to the corpse of a large man collapsed against the wall. Hank gestured to the corpse before shaking his head. 

"That looks like a bad O.D. So what's this I hear about a kidnapping? Is that our problem too or what?"

"Oh yes! The kidnapping. Well considering this is about to become the 3rd kidnapping associated with red ice users, I'm going to go ahead and say yes."

"Third? What the hell were the other two? What the hell was this one?"

"All in due time Hank. You remember that case we had back in August with that little girl who disappeared right from her house? They think it was the nanny who took her? Yeah apparently the mom is a big time red ice user. We just found out recently anyway. Then you got this guy here...overdosed and he had a roommate. Said roommate? One of the nicest guys ever. He-" Connor was possessed by the spirit of curiosity and trailed off from the briefing, beginning to look around the house. It did smell absolutely rancid, but he had a feeling it was like that even before there was a corpse present. He slipped past other workers bustling about into the back hallway, peeking into the open doors with one room standing out in particular simply because it was so clean. It was a neat and organised room which made it seem like a shining beacon in the sea of general deterioration. Connor tapped someone walking by, gesturing to the room. 

“Is this Ortiz’s room?”

“Nah. That’s the roommate. We already searched through it. No clues as to where he went. Feel free to check it again if you want.” 

Connor nodded before turning in the exact opposite direction and heading back into the living room to look at the body. Nothing about it really fazed him, but at the same time he felt like he should be. It was a dead person. Didn’t most people recoil at the sight of a body? The floorboards creaked with each step he took toward Ortiz until he stopped and crouched down with a look of determination on his face. Everything about the guy seemed in line with a classic red ice overdose, but something didn’t seem quite right the closer he looked. “Uh...Lieutenant? Can I get a second opinion on something?”

“Oh you got something kid? Enlighten me, great detective.” Connor tried his best to not scoff at the blatant sarcasm as Hank leaned forward over his shoulder. 

“This guy overdosed, but look at him. Only the powder near the nose.”

“As it should be.”

“But no residue on the hands, no pipe nearby, I mean the evidence crew marked his stash all the way on the other side of the room. And what they found in there is hardly enough for any overdose.”

“Alright. Approach the point please Sherlock.”

“Just...that doesn’t seem weird to you? I don’t think they’re going to identify this as a regular old overdose when they get this guy to the lab.”

“Are you implying that we’re looking at a homicide right now? I gotta say, I know you new detectives are always out looking for this big case to make you famous or something, but you have a lot of nerve. The job as a whole is more boring than you’ll eventually hate to admit.”

“W- I’m not forcing this into something it’s not. This just isn’t right and I think it’s w-” Connor was interrupted mid-sentence by his phone buzzing loudly in his pocket. He cleared his throat and pulled it out slowly, flipping it over to be met with the caller ID screen that read ‘Mother’. 

“Go. Go outside and answer it. This guy’s still gonna be here when you get back. I can assure you.” 

Connor felt a bit embarrassed to say the least. He sighed and stood up, walking out, subconsciously rushing to answer the phone. Hank already saw him as an incompetent child and he was sure it wasn’t helping his case to have his mother call him at work. He tapped the answer button as he stepped out into the front porch, watching the people crowding around the sidewalk, being kept behind the caution tape and stuck in the rain. 

“Hello?”

“Connor. Darling. What are you doing?”

“I’m actually at work right now. My first crime scene so...did something happen or?”

“Oh! Shit that is today right? It’s hard to keep track of anything you do anymore since you moved out you know. You never post on social media a-”

“I deactivated my account.”

“And you never call. Or text. Look Connor. You can be as mad at your father as you want, but can you at least take 5 minutes to call me? I’d appreciate it.”

“Yeah of course. I’ve just been busy. Wait...I know you. You’re not exactly the overly anxious type. I know you didn’t just call me to tell me I should call. Or is that it? So I can get back t-”

“You know. Speaking of your father...he’s having a big celebration at CyberLife tonight and he wants you to be there. I knew you wouldn’t answer him so I d-”

“I mean I can’t exactly answer if he’s too proud to call Mother.”

“Right. I know he won’t say it, but it would mean a lot to him if you were there. This is getting released to the media tonight, but I know I can tell you. We did it finally. Our android passed the Turing Test. They’ll be on the market someday. It’s a big deal. Actually our biggest deal yet, Connor.”

“Mother. I will...think about it. Text me the details just in case. “

“Thank you Darling. I really a-”

“I will think about it. Don’t get your hopes up and please, for the love of God, do not tell him. Look, I have to get back to work. Love you. Bye.” He had ended the call before she could even respond and went back inside a little less enthused than before. 

“Hey actually it’s time to head out. I may have...posed some of your theory to some of the techs. If something is… off.. when they take the body and have it more thoroughly analysed then we will be the first to know.”

“Great.” 

The drive back was still filled with the same rain and metal music, but this time he really wasn’t bothered by it, seeing as he didn’t have anything to say. He was too busy thinking. His relationship with his parents was...complicated to say the absolute bare minimum. One would think two genius parents would be smart enough to be pretty decent parents, but there was no such luck. Most of that was probably his father, although his mother was no paragon either. Unless there were cameras around of course. He was so lost in thought he didn’t even hear the music slowly lower in volume. 

“You alright kid? You didn’t get your hands on some red ice back there did you?”

“What? No. What are you talking about?”

“Well you look like you’re in another dimension just sitting in my passenger’s seat so excuse me.”

“I’m alright Lieutenant. I appreciate the concern though. Really.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes. In this human AU I have made Kamski and Chloe Connor's parents. It'll be an...interesting ride as far as family dynamics go. Also get used to people also referring to Connor as Kamski. 
> 
> I'll be happy to answer questions you have in the comments down below so don't be shy to leave your thoughts and theories as I actually do take them into consideration and try to reply to every single one!
> 
> Please feed the Author in comments and kudos!


	3. Markus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first Markus chapter of hopefully many more to come!

"Good morning Markus."

"Morning Dad. How are you feeling?"

"Alright. I'd be better if you could get home at a reasonable hour."

"I was at North's, did you not get my text?" Markus rifled through the kitchen cabinets noisily while yelling to his father at the dining table. "I'm starving. What are you eating?" Markus walked into the dining area, looking down at his father's plate. "Oh, Aimee came earlier today, she already cooked. She's out doing the shopping now." 

"And she couldn't make some for me? What a cruel world I live in."

"She's my caretaker. Not yours. Sit down and stop worrying your old dad." Markus dragged the heavy chair from under the dining table and sat across from his dad. He leaned forward and settled his forehead on the cool, smooth surface of the table. Markus had been at work all night and was positively exhausted. "Hey North should be coming over soon. I said she could just come on in. Is that okay?"

"Yeah it's fine Markus. You know I like North. However...energetic she may be." His father knew that his best friend North was a dancer and he also knew that Markus was a bartender. Not that they worked at the same place. It was one of those things where he'd seen the limits of his father's tolerance. It was as though he couldn't judge people that worked somewhere like the Eden Club and commended their work unless it was his son. He never told his father where it was he worked and with the man's pancreatic cancer he knew he wouldn't be visiting him at work any time soon. 

"Dad? Did you get a text from Leo?"

"No. Why?"

"Oh. He said he would. Maybe he just hasn't gotten around to it."

"Markus. You know y-" Carl stopped when the alarm did a small notification chime at the front door opening. North. How could anyone tell it was North? One always heard her before they saw her and North was already talking through the entry way before the door to the living area had even opened. She was loud enough to be heard behind the closed door too. 

"Guess who got paid last night with a capital P? This bitch right here! That was the best Thursday night I have ever had. Tonight is g- Good morning Mr. Manfred! Markus helpfully neglected the part where you were still here." The woman brushed a stray honey blonde lock over her shoulder as she glared at Markus who had spun around in his chair to face her, arms folded and resting across the back of the chair. He winked at her momentary embarrassment mockingly. Carl cleared his throat, chuckling a bit. It was an old, raspy sort of laugh that always brought a smaller smile to Markus' face as if it was infectious.

"Oh no. Don't stop celebrating on my account. Money is worth celebrating."

"Agreed. I was going to take Markus on a lavish shopping spree, but if you're not doing anything I would be happy to take you instead Mr. Manfred."

"That sounds like a good time right there. How could I say no to that face?" North smiled and pulled out the chair next to Markus, sitting in the chair backwards and straddling it. 

"Well you heard the man. I need to steal your father. We have to go spend copious amounts of money on material things." North was his best friend. True, he had found a best friend kind of late in life, but she was his closest confidant and the best friend he'd ever had. She knew all his secrets and he knew all of hers.

They had met several months ago back when he started working at the Eden Club. An idea which had actually been hers. Markus was miserably job hunting for months before that when he met her one night, walking to her car from the club. He was lost, internally, of course, and she must have sensed it, because as he sauntered through the parking lot on his way to the next bus stop to head home empty handed once more, she called out to him. It was just some silly question asking if he smoked because he could use it, but as she told him now it was because he looked so sad and she had a special skill for finding the down characters. They became friends after such a simple incident and then a couple of weeks later she suggested that if he was in want of a job he should come work with her at the Eden Club. He figured it was as good an idea as any, especially with him still coming up dry in other interviews. Just like pure luck, he got the job nearly on the spot. Mostly because the last bartender had just quit, but that was good enough for him. 

"As much as I love the idea of you kidnapping my father, we have stuff to do." North squinted at him before smiling. 

"We do have stuff. Shopping related stuff. I promise Mr. Manfred, next time it's you and I."

As soon as the front door closed behind them, North fluttered her false lashes with a passing breeze and yawned.

"So do we actually have stuff or no?"

"Leo texted me bef-"

"Uggghh. Not Leo. Anyone but him. What? Should we go give him a ride to an ice den?" North was outspoken and charming, but sometimes it was just more of the former than the latter. He grumbled at her and began walking to her red camaro parked in the circular driveway. It was the only car in the driveway, with Carl’s being in the garage and more sentimental than functional and Markus not having a car of his own. 

“I am going to pretend that you did not say that.” 

“What? It’s true. I do not understand why you indulge him.”

“Because he’s my brother.”

“Your brother. That is a prick. That’s the brother we’re talking about right?” Markus ignored North, no matter how right she was and clicked on his seatbelt, pulling out his phone.

“Look. Are you giving me a ride or should I call a taxi? After this we can go do all the things you do before work okay? It’s still early.”

“It’s not early. It’s almost 12, but fine. Due to the fact that you, Markus Manfred, are my friend I will give you a ride to go see your shitty brother.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better friend. Now drive the car.”

The drive was long, seeing as they had to drive all the way to the opposite side of town in order to get to Leo’s apartment. Markus didn’t understand the point of him living so far if all he was going to do was come running back home every time he needed money or ran out of food or was tired of his bed. He wouldn’t deny that North was probably right about his brother. Sometimes he was a major jerk, but he loved him. They hadn’t always been at odds with each other. It was just something that eventually grew into a bigger problem than it had to be until they eventually grew apart altogether. They pulled into the parking lot of the beaten up apartment buildings and Markus’ head snapped over to the driver’s side as he heard the door open shortly after his. 

“What are you doing?” North turned back to him, massive golden hoops catching some of the noontime sun as they shifted. 

“I’m coming with you. Is that not obvious? Let’s go.” She had already exited the vehicle before he had a chance to even attempt to argue with her. It likely wouldn’t do much good anyway. 

“Alright, but please just stand there and don’t talk. As a matter of fact...just stand 2 feet behind me at all times.” 

Tiny plumes of dust flew up into the air as their feet kicked up loose rocks along the way. Markus held up his hand, hovering over the door, reluctant to even bother. Right as he was preparing to tell North he had changed his mind and would text Leo later, he heard the sound of the door chain rattling as someone pulled it aside. 

“Markus. What are you doing here?”

“Leo. You...texted me. You said you couldn’t tell me what you needed unless it was in person so... here I am.” His brother looked awful. He had massive dark circles underneath his eyes and it looked as if his eyes were caving into his skull further with each passing moment. He looked a bit thinner than the last time he had seen him and his hair was longer, closer to his jawline and greasy. It was apparent by both look and smell that he hadn’t bathed in days. 

“When and why the fuck would I do that? But since you’re here can I borrow maybe 40 bucks?” Markus opened his mouth to respond, but heard an audible and extremely sarcastic scoff from behind him. 

“What’s with the hooker? Markus you look kind of like a hypocrite with a hooker behind you and yet you complain about how I use my money from Dad.”

“You know North. Don’t be a jerk. And I’m not giving you money. Look, if you don’t need anything then we’re gonna leave. I’ll tell Dad you said hi.”

“There you go again. Acting like you’re better than me. Y-Y-You’re you think you’re so special just because you’re the golden child. Just help me.”

“I’ve been trying to help you Leo. Are you okay? Are you high right now? Do you want to come with me back to Dad’s? You can rest easier there.” Every word Markus said oozed undisputed concern and compassion. He reached out to grab Leo by the shoulder, but before he could Leo smacked his hand away. 

“No! I’m not. And stop acting like you give a shit! You know what? You’re not even my real brother anyways. So you and your hooker can fuck off.”

A singular click of a heel on the pavement and Markus held his arm straight out to the side as it acted instantly as a barrier between North and Leo. North grunted as she rather forcefully, and likely, unexpectedly collided with Markus’ arm. 

“Listen here you little sh-”

“If you don’t want my help then fine. Come on North. We’re going.”

Leo didn’t say a single word to stop them or even to insult them as they walked back to the car. As soon as Markus shut the door, he rested his head on the dashboard and exhaled for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't know if Leo had gone back inside yet, but if he hadn’t, Markus counted himself lucky that North’s windows were tinted. 

“You okay North?”

“Me? I get called a whore at least 3 times before noon. I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Come on. What he said about you not being his brother? Kind of a dick move. Even for him.” There was a pause because of course it hurt his feelings. They weren’t always this way and maybe Markus was being delusional and clinging to the 12 year old version of Leo that would let him go everywhere with him without a single complaint. The Leo that would look after him. The Leo that helped him with his homework and taught him to play piano. He was sure to most people he was being ridiculous to keep bothering with Leo, but he couldn’t help it. Every time there was a hint of optimism that the next time he saw his brother’s face it would be a little more like it used to be. 

“Maybe…I could use ice cream to cheer me up?”

“Hell yeah. We got time to kill.”

And time they killed. All the way up until it was just about time to head back into work. 

“I cannot believe how fast the time goes. I swear it was just 3 o’clock an hour ago.”

“Yeah and now it’s 9 something. Time flies when you’re spending money as I always say.”

“Make sure you don’t spend it all on stupid stuff.”

“You think you’re stupid stuff. Noted. But I am a pro when it comes to managing money. If you really think I’m spending too big then we can take that LV watch right back to the store. Sound good?”

“I appreciate you and all you do for me North and I will be wonderfully silent as you get ready for work…. except to tell you how nice your makeup is.”

Work. If you had asked Markus where he would work 10 years ago he might’ve answered something naïve, like he wouldn’t need a job or he would be an artist like his father. Definitely not a bartender. Certainly not a bartender at a place like the Eden Club. Not that there was a problem with the place once he actually started working there and got over the misconceptions of working at a strip club. In all honesty, it was a nicer gig than what he had before, which was nothing. He looked up at the pink neon sign challenging all the other surrounding building lights and fighting for attention as he and North walked to the entrance. 

“Let’s get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Markus and Leo are brotherssss oh snap. I really did just find a way to give everyone a sibling in this AU didn't I? I actually don't have much to say this chapter and I'm typically very vocal. Hm. Well if you have questions don't be afraid to ask!
> 
> Please feed the Author in comments and kudos!


	4. Kara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara goes to pick Alice up. From the house. Hope you can wish her luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this story is rated Mature, I still like to give a fair CW/TW before specific chapters so, domestic violence/abuse as well as brief mentions of suicide.

Kara’s heart was in her throat and she felt like her legs were dissolving with every shaky step she took back to the place she worked so hard to get away from. Worked. ‘Worked’ sounded like defeat already. Kara was still working to get away from there and just like she planned all this time, she wouldn't be leaving without Alice. As she was walking the sun rose high in the sky, but there was no warmth to be found in it. In fact, each brisk wind appeared to carry enough force to knock her into the street if she didn’t stand her ground. When she reached the house it looked just the same as ever. Falling apart, muted colors and fractured sidewalk. She knew Todd was likely expecting her so when she arrived at the door she figured she wouldn’t need a key. Just as she expected, the knob turned with an agonizing crackling sound and the door swung open, a slow creak accompanied it. Not that she was trying to sneak in, taking into account that the element of surprise was not on her side in this situation. No matter what she tried. The house was still clean and the TV was on, Todd slumped on the couch as he usually was every time she came home. She shut the door loudly, as if he hadn’t already heard her come in.

“Where’s Alice?”

“Upstairs. In her room until I figure out what to do with her.” He murmured something under his breath that she couldn't hear or understand as he rose from the couch and she turned and started up the stairs. 

“Alice! I’m here! Come down here if you can or wait until I can come get you! We’re leaving.” Kara glanced over her shoulder at the last sentence to check how much distance had been taken from between them, only to be met with a sharp backhand that sent her stumbling into the wall. She didn’t cry out, she had stopped doing so ages ago. She went right to pressing her palms against the wall for balance. 

“You’re just gonna abandon me here huh? Like I mean nothing to you! You were always such an ungrateful brat! You’re just like your mother.”

Kara looked up towards the top of the stairs to see Alice standing, lip trembling, ready to cry, gripping her shirt and wringing it back and forth. She knew it wasn’t safe for Alice to come down yet so she turned to Todd. Before, she would have shrunk and apologized and returned to her room without a second thought, but now she was done with all that. 

“It’s not hard to be like her. Who the hell wouldn’t want to get away from you?” She actually couldn’t believe the words had come out of her mouth. She dreamed of saying something like that. In her dreams she wasn’t rewarded by being snatched off the stairs by her hair. This time she did hit the floor. Thrown far enough for her shoulder to ram into the leg of the dining room table.

“You wanna be like your mother? Abandoning people? You can be just like her. I bet you always wondered why she never came back. I let you think it was because she didn’t give a shit about you!” He made another grab for her, but this time she was more prepared, grasping the legs of the chair next to her and tossing it into his face. She ran back to the foot of the stairs where Alice mustered up the courage to stand.

“She never came back because she killed herself! Same week she left.” 

She heard that as soon as she took Alice’s hand and it felt like she’d been hit with a wave of paralysis. All this time she spent being angry. All this time halfway hoping one day her mother would turn up. It would have never happened. Wishes don’t bring back the dead. She gripped Alice’s hand tighter, backing towards the door at what felt like a snail’s pace. 

“She did it because you made her miserable! I don’t blame her. It’s your problem that the only way she could get away from you was to fucking kill herself!” She fumbled with the doorknob behind her back, flinging the front door open so hard it was guaranteed to have made a dent in the wall behind it.

“I’m not her though Dad.” She could see the color rising in his face, bright red turning more vibrant by the second. Kara knew that even with the door open it was a gamble on how far down the street she would get with Todd in pursuit. Especially with Alice being significantly slower and too heavy to carry. In a split second the thought came to her and she pushed Alice outside as Todd approached slowly, still doubting her. That was his mistake, because as she fumbled with her key ring to snatch off the house key he still saw her as harmless. Complacent. As if she would stand for one more second of this. When the silver key finally popped off with a small click, he was right there and Kara didn’t even think before jamming the pointed end of the tiny piece of metal into her father’s neck. Now it was time to run.

And run they did. All the way down the street to a bus stop further away from the house. Kara tried her best to ignore the slew of curses and screams of pain that emitted from their porch. By the time they sat down on the bus, Kara felt like every breath she drew was utterly useless. Like she would never be able to get enough air again. The people on the bus looked at her for a few seconds before turning back to mind their own business. 

“Kara. Kara are you okay?”

“...Better than okay. We did it Alice. Just like I said. Now it’s you and me.” She smiled down at her little sister and pulled her into a hug, resting her chin on the little girl’s head. Her mind was content, but her heart was still hammering against her ribcage as if it was desperately trying to escape. This day ended up being more eventful than previously anticipated so she couldn’t exactly fault herself for being practically consumed by adrenaline. There was really only one big thing left to do today.

“This is ours?” Alice stood in the doorway of the apartment, nearly as still as a statue. Kara couldn’t really detect if the girl liked it or not from her body language or the tone of her voice. It made Kara nervous.

“Do you...like it?” 

“Thank you Kara!” The little girl turned and wrapped her small arms tightly around her sister’s waist. 

“You’re welcome. Now Alice. I know that it’s been a long day today, but we’re going to set this place up together and then I have to go somewhere.”

“Where? Will you be back?”

“To a job interview so I can get a job and keep taking care of us. When I get ready to leave you cannot unlock the door for anyone. Don’t go outside without me when I’m gone. If all goes right then I may not come home until tomorrow, but don’t be worried. I’ll take you out to get some food before I leave so you can look after yourself. Got it?”

“Don’t unlock the door for anything after you leave. Got it.”

“Awesome.” 

The time they spent together fixing up the apartment and going to the convenience store felt like the most carefree times either of them had in years. She wasn’t even sure that the young girl was able to even experience feeling ‘carefree’ in her 9 years of life. She hardly ever saw the girl smile and for Kara...it just felt like maybe she had forgotten how to smile. Over the years perhaps the muscles disappeared from her face. By the time Kara knew she had to head out, it was 9:30. Alice wished her luck as she walked out the door and into the night. The club was close enough to walk if she didn’t have enough money to catch the bus, hopefully if she got the job there would be times where it would be too late for her to catch the bus.

Walking into the club felt sort of surreal. It was prettier in person actually. The pink neon lights and the changing screens in the walkway leading to the club. At the end of the walkway she encountered a woman at a desk along with an obvious security guard. She cleared her throat and approached the desk. 

“I have an audition. I spoke to Rose on the phone earlier?” The woman looked up, she had warm brown eyes and long, dark curly hair. Her smile was just as warm as her eyes.

“I’m Rose. You must be Kara. Wonderful. You can just come with me actually and they will get someone else to take over up here.” She waved a hand, signalling Kara to follow her as she walked off to the right right of the desk, heading for a door that was labeled in a charming cursive font and read ‘Staff Only’.

She pushed open the doors which opened into another shorter hallway that split into 2 doors, with one titled ‘Ladies’ and the other ‘Gentlemen’. She opened the ‘Ladies’ door into what seemed to be a locker room. There were a few girls sitting at tall stools staring into large mirrors and doing their makeup. Others were shuffling through lockers decorated with personal effects like stickers and charms. This place was nothing like she expected it to be. There were definitely still plenty of negative stereotypes surrounding this kind of work and Kara had subconsciously bought into them.

“We have a practice area off to the side here. Since we’re in operating hours and it’s a busy Friday we’ll have you audition in here. You told me on the phone you’ve never had a job like this so don’t worry sweetheart. We’ll provide some shoes and an outfit for you to borrow.”

“Thank you so much.” Kara handed over her ID to prove her age and went to get herself changed into a sleeveless fishnet bodysuit, littered with rhinestones that sparkled with every inch of light that touched them. She was also given a plain black bikini to wear underneath it, which she had to buy since no one else would be able to wear it. Lastly, she was provided a pair of sparkly silver platform boots. When she looked in a full length mirror she was a bit stunned. She had never seen herself like this. To be quite honest, Kara didn’t really look in the mirror that often anyway. When she walked back to the practice area, a section of the locker room with dance mirrors and a few poles, Rose clasped her hands together.

“I hope you don’t take this as an insult, but you look much better than I expected you to! I mean in the sense that you actually have a lot to work with. So just be honest with me here. How little experience do you have?”

“Honestly? I think I’m strong enough to work out some tricks and good enough to dance, but I have no clue what I’m actually doing.”

“People that don’t try to make skill where there isn’t any hold a special place in my heart. And they save me a lot of time. Why do you need this job? You must need it for something.” Kara hesitated to answer that next question, but Rose seemed pleasant enough so far and she really didn’t have a whole lot to gain from lying, since nothing would really be more helpful for her case than the truth. 

“I live alone and take care of my younger sister. I just want to look after her. That’s it. I’ve done my research and I’ve worked a ‘normal’ job. It doesn’t put enough money in my pocket.”

“This job won’t always do that for you either sweetie. Everyone, even our best dancers, can have a no money night.”

“I know. But Rose, tell me how much someone can make on a good night. Especially at the Eden Club.”

“On a good night? The sky’s the limit.” Kara looked right at the older woman, resolve clear on her face. After a few seconds, Rose smiled and broke out into a soft chuckle. 

"Say...I'll do you a favor. I can tell you just want to do right by your sister. You’re not a bad person and I’m good at telling who is. How about you dance tonight with whatever skill you got and we see if they like you. If that pans out then you can keep dancing. If not, we'll put you behind the bar instead. No harm done. Deal?" Kara hadn’t even done anything except have a conversation and it looked like she had landed herself a job. 

“Yeah. Yes. Thank you Rose. Really.” The woman raised her arms above her head to stretch as she got up from the chair she was using. 

“I have been a single parent for a while. I get it. Just do your best ok? Follow me. Let’s go fill out some papers and read some rules.”

After all of the details and legalities were sorted, Rose started to leave Kara in the locker room to practise for a while before going out into the club. The woman was stopped by a pair of clacking high heels and a woman calling out as she fast approached. 

“Mom. Mommy. Mother.” Rose sighed, playfully annoyed at the woman. 

“What do you need North?”

“A new garter?”

“North!”

“I know! It’s like my 4th one this month. I’ve been aiming to lose one a week.” Kara watched the exchange, full of intrigue. This woman, North, was very pretty. She had this perfectly maintained mane of honey blonde waves, she seemed tall, but she figured everyone seemed tall on 8 inch heels. She had an energy that was a cross between nonchalant and sprightly. Her makeup was infinitely better than anything Kara could pull off, composed of crisp lines and copious amounts of glitter. She was also noticeably muscular, she intimidated Kara in all honesty. If these were the kinds of people working here, how could someone like Kara stand to compete? She would look like a frumpy old woman standing next to someone like North. She let the two women fuss back and forth about North’s uncanny ability to lose so many garters in such a short amount of time while Kara turned herself to practise.

She really had researched videos on how to do pole. She figured she might as well try that to kill time. Wrapping both hands around the cool metal she attempted to use just her arms to pull herself up which was a slow and shaky, but not entirely impossible process. She eventually solidified her grip using her legs and thinking back to the tutorials she had watched. She probably didn’t look sexy or elegant judging by how she felt. 

“You’re new. Oh! You do tricks?” A voice broke her silent focus and she turned to see the same woman standing. North. The locker room had gotten quieter than before so she assumed most of the people that were in it had left. She stood corrected and felt suddenly self conscious. North crossed her arms over her chest, examining Kara. Kara slid down the pole in a much more elegant fashion than she had gotten up it and approached. 

"I'm Kara."

"Kara. What a cute name. I'm North. You never answered. You do tricks?"

"Some. At least I think I do. I was just trying to get the hang of it before I go out there."

"Awesome. I'll be your first customer."

“You what?” North dragged a chair from one of the mirrors in the locker room all the way in front of the pole. 

“I’m your first customer. No money though. No offense. Show me what you’re made of and consider it my professional opinion.”

“I don’t really-”

“Kara. Kara. You look like a pretty cute girl. Could be hot with a few final touches, but if you’re gonna be shy this might not be the job for you. I can show you some moves if you want?” Kara nodded, grateful to have met someone who was seemingly nice. Nice enough for Kara’s current needs at the very least. They spent about 15 minutes working on what North deemed “essential” moves.

“Trust me. Anybody can stand there and look cute. Tricks are far more impressive. You’ll make way more money. When you do, you better not forget who taught you. Or we’ll have to fight in the parking lot. Rather, I’ll be forced to beat your ass in the parking lot.” Kara laughed. North didn’t laugh. 

“O-Oh you’re serious.”

“Let’s say I’m only half kidding. Don’t think about it too much, okay? Let’s go make some money!” 

Surprisingly enough, money she made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's Kara! She got the job! I really like Kara in this story she's such a cool girl. Very determined, much like her original character, doing whatever she needs to do to take care of her and Alice.
> 
> That's the end of Todd! For now.
> 
> I also really just love rewriting the characters into this AU to see where I can make them fit. Like having Rose be the club's house mom. Maybe you can comment a guess of what other characters might appear and where/what they'll be!
> 
> Please feed the Author in comments and kudos!


	5. Connor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor breaks down and decides to go to the CyberLife unveiling of his parents' invention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I hope my gift isn't too late!

Upon arriving back at the station, he and Hank gravitated back toward their desks to file their reports about the scene. Actually, Connor would be the one filing the report and Hank would be somewhere nearby to make sure he didn’t “screw it up” in Hank’s words. ‘Nearby’ for Hank could be as close as right across from Connor in his desk chair, or as far as outside the station doing something Connor had no knowledge of. He was sure the Lieutenant was actually just using the excuse that this would be rookie practise for Connor as an excuse to not write a police report for once. He would ignore that fact though and, under the Lieutenant’s lax supervision, try his hand at writing a successful police report. 

He remembered nearly everything for the scene and he felt like he should type every detail, but he fumbled every step of the way, uncertain if he was making it too detailed, but worried that if he toned it down it would suddenly become not detailed enough. It was a back and forth game of self doubt and self confidence until eventually he fell into a rhythm of more certainty, and during this rhythm Hank had found a way to sneak up behind him and watch him type.

“Not bad.” Connor turned at the sound of the man’s voice rather swiftly, regaining his composure quickly so as not to let on the fact that he has honestly been momentarily startled. 

“Just email it my way and I’ll add the finishing touches and file it for you. You can close up shop for the day. It’s late and we’re getting ready to cycle out. Decent first day if I do say so myself. I have definitely seen worse.”

“Thank you Lieutenant. Not a complete compliment but I have a feeling we aren’t quite there yet are we?”

“Correct. Don’t get your hopes up either kid. Go home.”

Connor nodded and stood very promptly as Hank lumbered over to his desk and plopped down in his chair with a sigh. Connor actually didn’t have a car and was more accustomed to taking the taxi rather than driving. Of course he knew how to drive and had a license because if he didn’t he would’ve failed the academy, but he didn’t care for driving. He’d do it if it was required of him with extreme efficiency, but he preferred to avoid it if he could. He had never been eager for a car or a license as a teenager and his parents never pushed him to drive anywhere. It only became a priority when he decided to go through with becoming a detective. Either way, he sat in the taxi in silence thinking about how aside from the surprise call from his mother, his first day on the job was relatively successful. Sure his partner was a jaded, overly exhausted man who didn’t really take him seriously, but Connor would find a way to adapt to that situation in whatever way would make him most successful at work.

Connor lived in a nice sized apartment despite the fact that he lived alone and didn’t really have anyone to invite over and therefore didn’t really need all the space. It was a two bedroom and two bathroom with a sizable living room and balcony and a kitchen large enough to walk in a full circle inside instead of a straight line. Perhaps he should actually take the idea of downsizing to a smaller place into a bit more seriously and let someone else have the place who actually needed the space. He pulled off his shoes, lining them up neatly by the front door before heading straight to what he could use as a guest room, but instead used as his work room. It not only had his computer, printer, scanner, and what have you inside, but also his arguably favorite item in the entire apartment. 

There was a large rectangular aquarium against the left wall of the room. It was stocked with a few dwarf gourami fish and a few snails. The vegetation in the tank swayed back and forth alongside the fish that darted to and fro nearby. It was always a mesmerising and soothing scene for Connor and taking care of the creatures gave him something to do that he felt was worthwhile. He didn’t have many friends and so he always had time for his fish. Any. He didn’t actually have any friends when he stood staring at the tank and tried to mentally list a few, no one came to mind. Sure, he knew ridiculous amounts of people and had endless contacts on his phone, but that’s all they really were. Contacts and associates. He couldn’t think of anyone he would chat to casually about his day or call up to hang out. His mother worried that he spent too much time alone and that he should be putting in more of an effort to make “meaningful” connections with people. It was hard to imagine that even people like his parents had people they truly considered friends in their lives and pondering on this fact was a bit insulting when he realised he couldn’t say the same about himself. 

Then his parents were on his mind. His mother specifically.

"Mother..." 

He reached for his phone before he was ever certain he wanted to call. He tried to ignore what she said earlier but it was true. He didn't call. He didn't visit. He didn't want to. He didn't feel like a good son but he had peace of mind by simply not dealing with his family. Mostly his father. He'd sacrifice that tonight for as long as he could bear to make his mother happy. He went to his room to change. 

This room was rather...plain too he supposed. He always saw people with the lovely decorated rooms in the movies and honestly thought no one else could have their rooms like that in real life. There was no hair on the carpet, the walls were a crisp and pale bluish grey, his bed was perfectly made, there was no art on the walls or things on the floor. Nothing that really signaled a person lived here. Sometimes it didn't just look that way. It felt that way too.

Connor was changed and in the car in a most timely manner, not so that he could be on time to the event, but so that if he had timed it right his father would have just started his speech meaning they wouldn't have to talk. The CyberLife building was always so...cold and uninviting. Connor remembered being scared of it when he was a child. His parents would always try to bring him along in hopes of creating a child as genius as they were to take over the company, but he always clung to his mother's pants leg as they walked through. 

A security guard opened and closed the door while letting guests in and nearly broke an arm trying to get the door open for him.

"Mr. Kamski I-I'll uhhh go ahead and let Mrs. Kamski know you're here."

"Awesome." 

He sounded a little disappointed, but he expected nothing less of his mother. Of course she wanted to know the second he arrived. He'd never seen CyberLife so...full of life, ironically enough. It was always so empty, quiet, and sterile. Sure it was full of celebrities, engineers, scientists, reporters, and people of that nature and they weren't really...lifelike when push came to shove it still felt different.

"Connor. "

"Mother." 

A thin blonde woman wrapped her arms around him and enveloped him in a brief hug.

"You never texted me back to say you were coming." 

His mother still managed to look rather young, she had pale blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and teeth somehow whiter than freshly fallen snow. To contribute to her Hollywood smile. She wasn't a short woman, but he still towered over her, taller by several inches.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise?"

"Well that's a fucking lie, but okay sweetie. I notice your impeccable timing as always. Your father is just getting ready to present about the android. That couldn't have anything to do with your insistence on avoiding him?"

"No. Never. Elijah Kamski is the best father in the world and I can't wait to bash my head against the wall before talking to him."

The woman cracked a smile, but only scoffed at him. Connor greatly preferred his mother unfortunately and even though he hadn't been speaking to her with as much frequency he really did like talking to her. Connor was always so serious, people probably didn't even think he knew how to joke. With his mom it was all jokes. 

"Who taught you all that sarcasm? It couldn't have been me. I'd never do such a thing. No but seriously don't be a prick all night. I already have to deal with the headache that is your father on an unfortunate daily basis."

"You know...I really don't understand why you're still together. All you do is say stuff like that. I mean, our pastime is literally making fun of him." 

His mother paused, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping a finger against her arm. 

"Well my Darling. When you meet someone as intelligent and as brilliant as you are, then you'll be able to understand how I feel about your father." 

Connor didn't get it. He opened his mouth to question her, but was cut off by the sound of feedback from a microphone. 

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming here tonight. Truly it means a lot. We, myself and my unfathomably fantastic wife Chloe, have been talking about making some sort of human-like ‘assistant’ for decades now. I'm talking since before our son was born. It was a dream for a long time, but today, we leave the uncanny valley as that dream becomes a reality."

His father had a way with words when it came to addressing the masses. That way with words did not translate into talking to his family. Connor just tuned out the speech which he was extremely skilled at, missing the entire showing of the android unfortunately, but it was over before he knew it.

"Connor. Connor." 

Connor had been deadpanning the ceiling, a very interesting subject truly.

"Yes?"

"Put on your game face Dearest and let's take a few pictures."

"Why do I have to take pictures? I didn't make anything."

"No, but we made you. So pictures. And please smile with teeth."

Connor followed behind his mom and even before they got to a clear space for pictures, there were pictures being taken. The clicks and flashes. He'd known them all his life. Sounds as familiar as drawing a breath. True, the android was his parent's biggest leap yet, but they had been making tech for years and it took over to the point where Connor doubted a single household existed without having one of their products. So consequently, Connor had seen the spotlight for...years. 

"Connor. I'm surprised you could stop by." 

His father. Elijah Kamski was, for lack of a better term, a bit of a jerk. His brain was too big to interact without being an ass. All the time. Sometimes it was subtle and other times overt. Connor and his father were nearly the exact same height, but in his eyes a lot of the similarities ended there. People usually told him he looked more like his mother growing up anyways. There again were those piercing blue eyes that Connor didn't have. His were soft and brown. The older man pulled him into a hug long enough for a camera to catch it before releasing him. 

"So your mother te- Smile. She tells me your first day of 'work' was today."

"It was."

"And? Is everything you dreamed it would be or should I take you around back and start teaching you how to make androids?"

"It went fine. A light first day."

"Connor. You know I'm your father."

"Is that so?"

"There it is. That damned sarcasm. I forgot how much I adore you and your mother in the same room. Point being, you know you only get one father correct? Me."

"Is there a point in there somewhere or are you just doing that thing where you waste time?"

"Point is I thought we might try being nicer." 

Connor shuffled off to the side to let his parents take pictures together without him. And without answering. He thought he had gotten out of it, but Elijah was right there next to him when he looked up. As was his mother. 

"By 'we' you mean me. So...I don't think I will." 

Kamski turned to look at Chloe who only shrugged, completely unhelpful and seemingly trying her best to not crack a smile.

"Connor look I-" 

Connor had never felt so grateful to feel his phone vibrate. He usually hated getting calls because he hated talking on the phone. Now he snatched the phone out of his pocket to be greeted with...Hank. Work stuff. 

"Hey we got a disturbance at a club. They claim it's ours because said ‘disturbance’ is high off its ass but let me let you in on a little secret. It's because no one else can be bothered. Do I need to come get ya?"

"Um...no. Well actually yes. You know where CyberLife is?" 

Connor heard the most tired sounding audible sigh in his ear. 

"Do I know- Yeah. I'll be there in...5. Yeah I can do 5. Bye."

"That was a work call. As much as I'd love to stay I have to get going." 

He was actually prepared to be somewhat of an adult and shake his father's hand before leaving, but the man walked away, obviously no longer in the mood to pretend that entertaining him was important to him.

"So you really fucked that one didn't you?" 

His mother laughed, never having been one much for taking their disagreements seriously. They just...had never agreed. It had been that way since he could remember. 

"I'm leaving. Love you." 

He cupped the back of her head and planted a brief kiss atop it.

"Love you too Connor. Be safe."

"I always am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get to finally develop Connor's family dynamic! We saw a bit of it when he was on the phone with Chloe earlier, but now we get to get up close with that family discomfort. Right on time for the holidays! Kamski wanted Connor to do one thing in life, said thing didn't happen, here they both are now. I think Chloe and Connor are cute and I find Connor and Kamski...interesting.
> 
> That's all I've got for now! Hope you enjoy! Please feed the Author in comments and kudos!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it wasn't exactly an explosive start, but I wanted to ease into it and go from there. I have big plans from here so get excited. Please let me know what you think about each chapter. It truly fuels me. Anyhow, let's get this story going. Please feed the Author in comments and kudos!


End file.
